Galatians 2: 1-10
Paul is continuing to tell his own story.
Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up;
So it had been three years after he was saved before he even went to Jerusalem to consult with any of the other apostles, so what he preached was only and purely what Christ had revealed to him personally.
Now it's been another fourteen years, and the Lord revealed to him that he needed to be in Jerusalem again for the church council that was to be held to determine what the Christian faith would be. (See Acts 15: 1-29.)
and I submitted to them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.
So he met privately with the leaders first, instead of the whole council, to make sure that the faith he was preaching was the same faith that they were also preaching, because if there were differences, then they would not even be the same church.
But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Circumcision was the big issue of the day. All the first Christians were Jewish, so they were circumcised. But Paul was preaching to Gentiles, who had never had that requirement. The big question was, were they genuine Christians if they weren't circumcised?
Now Titus was a Greek, so he wasn't circumcised, but he was a Christian, and the original leaders of the church didn't make him get circumcised, so this was an encouragement to Paul.
But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.
He realized that if a man had to be circumcised, then he would also have to obey the whole Mosaic Law, and no one had been able to do that since it was given! That would be bondage.
But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the Gospel would remain with you.
If he had yielded to them, then he would have had to change the message he had preached to them, and it would not be the pure Truth any more. But he didn't give them an inch.
But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)
This "high reputation" were of those who had set themselves up as authorities, without God's calling them to that position. And whatever the status someone has in the World makes no difference to God, He looks at our hearts, not our status. So their titles also made no difference to Paul.
--well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.
Even though they held worldly esteem, they didn't have anything to add to Paul's message.
but on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised
They were counter-parts in God's program, specifically gifted to minister to these two different populations for the furtherance of God's Plan in choosing the whole human race to be His children.
(for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles),
The same God the Holy Spirit was working in both Peter and in Paul to send them to these different people so that everyone would be able to hear the Good News.
and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Peter (Cephas) and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
James was the Lord's brother, and both Peter and John were in Jesus' "inner circle" of three while He conducted His itinerant ministry before His death. So they were the main guys in the original Jerusalem church. And they recognized Paul's faithfulness to the Truth of the Gospel.
They only asked us to remember the poor--the very thing I also was eager to do.
God's children will always have compassion on those the Father cares about, so they (we) will (super)naturally help those who we are able to help to meet their needs.
So we read here again the same history we read in Acts, as Paul is recounting everything he went through during the early days of the church, as the foundation was being laid. This is a very pivotal time, as the whole World was changing because of people coming to faith in the True God and leaving all the corrupted and twisted attitudes they had had previously, changing their lives, families, clans, cities, and nations.
We even reckon our time according to when Jesus was born, grew up, and died and was Resurrected. He really did change the World!
O my Father, You have done everything possible and impossible to draw us to Yourself, to make us members of Your own family.
But we are so quick to leave the simplicity of Your Gospel! Father, it is our pride and self-sufficiency that leads us away from just letting You do it all and trying to save ourselves. Or even thinking that we can do anything without You that You would be able to accept.
Even when we've been saved by our faith in what Jesus has finished for us, we tend to try to live by our own wits, instead of still trusting You to do it through us. We must go from the faith to be saved to the faith to live this supernatural life.
Father, please help us, keep us strong in our dependence only on You, that we would be available for Your use to promote Your Kingdom Your way in Your time and place of Your choosing for us.
Send us out, Father, into Your fields that are ripe for harvest, into Your fertile fields prepared to receive Your Seed.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus of Nazareth is our Lord God Almighty, our Savior and Redeemer, the King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
